I received an email yesterday from a woman who was in one of my ebook and article writing classes last summer. I had not heard from her since the class ended, which was in July of 2007. She told me that she had been writing articles regularly and had even written an outline for her ebook. Her biggest concern was that she did not have a list and was not making any money. Before emailing her back, I did some research to see what she had been doing.
I Googled her name, using two different variations, and found almost nothing. When I did find her name connected to a blog, it was related to a topic that was not her field of expertise. This lady has written more than 100 articles in the past year, yet she is virtually invisible on the internet!
After doing even more digging on the web, I realized that her story was not unique. She had failed to make a name for herself and position herself as an expert. Do not let this happen to you. Here are some suggestions I have made to her that will also work for you.
- Choose a niche market that will be your main focus. Even if you have one or two smaller niches, devote the majority of your time and effort on your area of expertise.
- Write and submit articles regularly in your niche.
- Use the same name for everything you write in that niche. If your name has a common spelling, like mine does, add a middle name to distinuish yourself from others.
- Start a blog. Use a domain name that brands you and includes one or two of your keywords.
- Read and comment on other blogs that deal with your topic. This will get your name out there and help others to find you and your writing.
- Work with a mentor to help you stay focused on your goals.
- Stay with your niche for at least one year, and keep track of your progress.
- Be clear about who your target audience is and write directly to them.
- Don’t write academically; you will lose many people with writing that is over their heads.
- Develop your USP (unique selling proposition). What is it that sets you apart from others in your niche?
These are some things to think about as you build a business online with your writing. What are you doing to insure your success a year from now?
More from my site
Position Yourself as an Expert with Joint Ventures
Are You Positioning Yourself As An Expert On The Internet?
Article Marketing – Writing Articles Consistently Will Bring You More Prospects
eBook Writing And Marketing – Getting Rich With Just One eBook
Write An eBook To Position Yourself As An Expert
Position Yourself As An Expert By Blogging About Your Passion
This is great advice Connie.
I’ve been doing everything you say here, and from not even having a website in January 2007, I now have a thriving coaching practice, articles, ebooks, an upcoming teleseminar series and…people are seeking me out to work with them.
My advice to anyone setting out…
Just keep on taking the steps, if you need help, find someone who has already done what you want to do – you don’t have to reinvent the wheel!
Here’s to your success
Lynne Lee
http://www.articlewritingandmarketing.com
Hello from beautiful Montana:
There is another Judy Wright who is a self help author. I use my middle initial and have developed another tag line so people know which is which.
My free eBook is called “Use Encouraging Words to Motivate Positive Action” and talks about the Law of Attraction. It can be found at http://www.UseEncouragingWords.com Still trying to figure out the best way to let people know about it. Suggestions?
Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, the story telling trainer
http://www.ArtichokePress.com
http://www.AskAuntieArtichoke.com
Hello!
Once again Connie, you’ve supplied us with valuable information. Thank you.
I also find that while there may be many others writing for your niche, it’s best to write about your specialty with feeling and passion. The more passion you have about the subject the better your articles will be and, readers will return for more.
I also find that setting a regularly scheduled time to write keeps you on track and your information will always be fresh
Lisa
The Sensual Bloom Living Diva